Three Supplementary Genes Linked to Breast Cancer

The genes were found directly next to the estrogen receptor gene, the main driver of hormonal breast cancer. The estrogen receptor has been intensively studied by scientists for decades and is located in one of the intensively studied areas of the genome.

Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, (ICR; London, UK), studied 104 patients with hormonal, also known as estrogen receptor (ER) positive, breast cancer. They wanted to find the genes that were most closely linked to the estrogen receptor. The three genes identified were: chromosome 6 open reading frame 96 (C6ORF96), C6ORF97, and C6ORF211. All three were found to be linked to the estrogen receptor, but working separately from it. As a result, their activity is unlikely to be affected by current treatments, such as tamoxifen, which target the estrogen receptor. This could mean that they are potential targets for new drug treatments.

The human gene C6ORF211 was shown to drive the growth of tumors and the team sees this as the most likely target for new treatments. The gene C6ORF97 was shown to be an indicator of a tumor not relapsing, and also a good predictor of response to tamoxifen. Less is known about the gene C6ORF96, but it is being investigated by the team.

Mitchell Dowsett, PhD, professor of biochemical endocrinology at the ICR, said, "This investigation is exciting because it shows that while the estrogen receptor is the main driver of hormonal breast cancer, there are others next door to it that also appear to influence breast cancer behavior. We now need to better understand how they work together and how we can utilize them to save lives of women with breast cancer." In Britain, nearly 48,000 women and around 300 men are diagnosed every year with breast cancer; the most diagnosed commonly cancer in the UK.

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The Institute of Cancer Research